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THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



of diseases, being one and the same, there is no 

 quackery in prescribing one remedy as essentia! 

 for all. 



(d.) In the " Essay on Calcareous Manures," 

 the author particularly, as well as generally, stated 

 that the carbonate of lime, or mild lime, (as pre- 

 sented in marl,) was what he had almost ex- 

 clusively operated with, and to the operation of 

 which hie theory and rules applied. Caustic or 

 quick-lime was particularly excepted, though a 

 particular consideration was given to that im- 

 portant exception, (See Essay on Calcareous 

 Manures, 2d edition, pages 32 to 35.) The only 

 condition ofsoil for which we there recommended 

 caustic lime, or even thought its use allowable, 

 was that of newly cleared or fresh land, full of 

 vegetable matter; and it vvas in precisely such a 

 case that Mr. Turner found decided benefit and 

 profit from the application. In all other cases, 

 (and we would not insist even on that one ex- 

 ception being requisite,) we would prefer to have 

 the lime carbonated or rendered mild, by exposure 

 and absorbing and recombining with carbonic 

 acid. This end will be sufficiently secured by 

 the mode of application introduced by the late 

 Fielding Lewis, and which was described in 

 no. 1, vol. ]., Farmers' Register, and is in general 

 use on the lower James river, wherever lime is 

 applied. Any other mode of sufficient exposure 

 to the atmosphere, that would reach the same 

 end, would as fully guard against all the danger 

 feared from the causticity of lime. And where- 

 ver such evilft have been suffered, we must be 

 permitted to say that they have not only not been 

 attributable to our published instructions and ad- 

 vice, or the want of stating exceptions, but in 

 direct opposition to both our general views and 

 particular statements. If all the persons who 

 suppose they have suffered injury from the too 

 general opinions or incorrect instructions in the 

 'Essay on Calcareous Manures,' were examined 

 as to the grounds of their charges, we suspect 

 that it would appear that nineteen in twenty of 

 them had not so much as read the work. 



(c.) Liming, (in the sense stated in the last 

 note,) operates more quickly and fully (for the 

 first crop,) on silicious or sandy, than on clayey 

 and stiff soils ; but beneficially and profitably on 

 all grades of texture of soil, if deficient in lime, 

 as a natural constituent. 



(/•) We care nothing about the subsoil, pro- 

 vided it be not wet, which bad quality is indeed 

 an effectual bar to improvement by lime, as well 

 as by every other known manure. We had 

 some little red and more of white clay sub-soil ; 

 but most of ours was barren yellow sand sub- 



soil, generally deemed the worst of all ; and on 

 land having this very base sub-soil, our improve- 

 ments by marl have been the most striking and 

 most profitable. This is the kind of sub-soil, we 

 infer, that Mr. Turner speaks of as of land having 

 " no foundation at all." We would desire no 

 better foundation for improvement by calcareous 

 manures. 



(g.) In giving the following particular answers 

 aa required, to particular questions, we must 

 repeat, and beg that it may be borne in mind, 

 that we have almost no personal experience of 

 caustic lime as manure, and do not approve its 

 use, unless in some very few cases; and, except 

 when especially and expressly referring to caustic 

 lime, that our remarks will here apply, as here- 

 tofore, to the carbonate of lime, whether as pre- 

 sented naturally in marl, or by burnt lime, after 

 becoming mild by exposure. 



(h.) Some portion of the questions, from 3d to 

 9th inclusive, have been already answered in the 

 preceding remarks, and all of them susceptible of 

 being precisely answered, as we conceive, in the 

 report of Fielding Lewis' farming (above referred 

 to,) and in the 'Essay on Calcareous, Manures.' 

 And to answer fully here, would require 20 more 

 pages of addition to these notes. In regard to 

 burnt lime, (though that always becomes very 

 soon carbonated in the usual practice of exposure, 

 and before the first crop begins to grow,) some 

 more full and valuable information is also pre- 

 sented in a preceding article, respecting the liming 

 on Brandon, (page 279.) As it respects the 

 kind of lime, provided it be but rendered mild, 

 we should care very little as to what source it 

 was derived from. Whether found in marl, or new 

 or mild burnt lime, and whether from etone or 

 shells, the only important consideration is, of 

 which kind can a dollar's worth of labor and 

 money furnish to the land the greatest number 

 of pounds of carbonate of lime. 



(i.) It is always ^- safe to apply it to poor naked 

 land" — if it be mild lime, and not in excessive 

 quantity for the circumstances of the land. 



(j.) We would by no means concur in the 

 several opinions and statements expressed in the 

 preceding parts of this paragraph ; but it is un- 

 necessary to object to them, as (hey do not affect 

 our positions. It is enough that we agree with 

 our correspondent in his last stated position, that 

 lime has generally been used in Britain, (where 

 needed and accessible, we would add,) and that 

 the greatly improved production of that country 

 " is due to this cause, or to other sources of im- 

 provement." Wc would only desire to substitute 

 the word and lur the " or"' above — irivina; to hme 



